Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1887-09-22
WOMAN'S DEPARTMENT.
A GOOD SAMARITAN.
The Story OF Jennie Collins and Her Phil
anthropic Deeds.


The Story of Jennie Collins and Her Phil
anthropic Deeds.
Sixteen years ago, writes Miss Liv-
ermore, in the Women'S Journal, Jen-
ME Collins was tailoress in Boston
working for her daily bread. Born
unto poverty, she had gauged its
depths for many years, during which
she had fought the battle of life single
handed and alone. She had measured
by personal experience the deprivations
and misery of the large class of shop
girls who lived in cheap boarding
houses and lodging-rooms, without re-
sources and without friends, in time of
sickness and trouble. But at last,
when more than halfway through life,
she won a little vantage ground for
herself, and Immediately fastened to
realize her long-cherished dream of
helping her less fortunate fellow-worK-
erS.
a. If 1 had called my place Head
quarters for Working-Wome or any
other similar name," said Jennie,
when criticised for giving her humane
establishment so incongruous a cog
nomen, "it would have attracted no
attention whatever But when l put
up the sign 'Bofin's Bower every
body ran up to the room to see what
the place was. l made lots of acquaint-
ances and friends that way, and got a
great deal of help. And then l was a
reader of Dickens, and took a great
fancy to 'Boffin's Bower and the peo-
pie connected with it. l have never
regretted the name"
During the early years of her public
work, saw a great deal of Jennie
Collins, and knew that she and hel
Boffin's Bower" exerted a marvel.
GUS influence for good over many who
were ready to perish. In a letter
written me last March she says:
"My experience in these rooms is
simply incredible to myself. 1t car
never be told. 1t would not be be-
lieved. Volumes would not suffice
for the narration of peculiar individual
cases that have come to me with har
rowing, and sometimes puzzling ant
trying details, and which 1 have beer
able to relieve"
Her stronghold was the confidence
reposed in her by the public, which al
ways responded generously to her ap
peals. That poor working-woman
without position or training, SHOULD
be able to accomplish so large ant
beneficent work among the most un
fortunate and hopeless classes, wa'
simply marvel. She held a "fair'
every fall to obtain means for fret
dinners during the winter for unem
ployed women, who paid for it il
work. To many that dinner was thei
only daily meal for weeks. One
winter, that of VI and '7S, she fur
nished over 5000 free dinners.
She was stanch believer in WON
an suffrage, and was confident i
would prove harbinger of highe
civilization. Until within a year o
two, when her footsteps tended slowl,
to death, rarely missed her from tn
audience at suffrage meeting.
marvel how she maintained her un
shaken faith in humanity while dali,
confronted with its most discouragin,
vices and weaknesses. ! wonder a
the exhaustlessness OF her patience, a
the endurance of her courage, and tn
constancy of her affection to even tn
most wretched of her sex.
A society has been formed to con
tinue her work. For she was in her
self a whole organization, comprisin,
in herself secretary and treasurer
finance and executive committee. N
one person could fill her place, and al
though lacking prestige and position
she accomplished an unknown amour
of work that for lack of a nobler dc
scriptive term we call Christ-like.